


The Hearts of Stars and Thunder

by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Snow White and the Huntsman Fusion, Amnesia, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 06:57:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3318200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asoulofstars/pseuds/asoulofstars, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissChrisDaae/pseuds/MissChrisDaae





	The Hearts of Stars and Thunder

Once upon a time….

In a far off kingdom, there reigned a good and wise King, with his wife and young son. Having no other children, the King invited the only son of the neighboring King to spend summers with them, and the two young Princes became the closest of friends.

Two years after the Prince had been born, there came the story of one of the higher lords of the kingdom finding a most peculiar thing. A star fell from the sky into his lands, and within the crater, there lay a woman holding a little baby girl, with stardust in the baby’s warm brown eyes. The lord married the woman, adopting the girl as his heir. A mere two years later, the girl’s mother passed away, whispering a prophecy into her husband’s ear before she transformed into a sphere of light and disappeared. With his heart heavy, the now grieving lord took his daughter to the royal palace, explaining to the King what his wife had said, asking that his daughter be raised in the Queen’s household. And so, the two children inhabiting the palace became three, as the boys took to their new companion easily. Six years passed, and it seemed that all was right with the world.

But, one winter, a dark shadow passed over the land in the form of Malekith, the Accursed One, a sorcerer of unimaginable power. Malekith and his forces stormed the palace, slaying both the King and his fair Queen. The King’s generals attempted to smuggle the Prince and the little star girl from the palace in the midst of the attack, but Malekith’s right hand, the creature Algrim seized the girl, even as the Prince struggled in the grip of the old general, calling out to his beloved friend over and over, screaming her name, “Jane, Jane, Jane!” 

Jane screamed back to him as Algrim dragged her back into the castle and up to the solar where the King and Queen lay, their bodies still warm, the blood pooling, and she wept as she lay on the floor.

Malekith loomed over her, grabbing her by the shoulder and dragged her before a sheet of red-black glass. “Well? Why is she here?” The glass rippled, and then it spoke in a voice that made Jane tremble.

“ _She is born of a star, and the first child she bears will be the next sovereign, who will bring a new age of glory.”_ Malekith turned his pale face towards Jane, a dark shot of lust burning in his pale blue eyes, and the little girl pulled back, shaking in fear. Smiling at her slowly, Malekith looked back at the glass.

“It is my wish that the memories of this kingdom pertaining to the Prince, save those of the people in this room, be erased. No one in the realm is to recall him.”

“ _There will be a price for this, my master.”_

“I will pay it. When my heir is born,” Malekith paused to leer at Jane, “you will have the host you have craved so long, my Aether. And a kingdom besides.”

“ _Then it is done.”_ Jane felt a ripple pass over her, a ripple that went out over the entire kingdom, wiping clean any trace of the young Prince.

“He’ll come back,” Jane insisted, pushing down her fear to look at Malekith with cold hatred. “And he’ll make you pay for this.”

Malekith struck her before pulling back her back up again, this time, by her hair. “You will understand this, girl,” he warned, “because I will only say it once. You are being permitted to keep your memories solely so that you will know what happens if you ever cross me, is that clear? I can make your life hell if I so choose, or these next few years can be quite comfortable.”

“I hate you,” Jane whispered, refusing to look at him, but he only laughed, thrusting her into his lieutenant’s grip.

“Take her to the Queen’s tower,” Malekith commanded Algrim firmly. “We have quite a bit of preparations to make, if she is to be a proper consort.” Jane thrashed and screamed as they locked her away, in what now felt like the tomb of the Queen.

Over the next ten years, Malekith made very little progress with his would-be wife. The story of the lady in the tower became one mothers told to their children. But there were no stories of the missing Prince.

* * *

 

“You’re late.”

“Terribly sorry, Father," Thor unloaded his day’s game, hanging it on the racks by the door. "Town was swarming with servants from the palace today."

"Then he's finally going through with it. That poor child..." Old Tyr shook his grizzled grey head. "I remember her from my days serving the old King, Norns rest his soul—"

"Father, please," Thor interrupted. "I know. You must have told me every war story you can recall."

Tyr clapped a hand on his fostered son's back. "If I'd found you before that day... You'd have made a fine warrior, Thor, one of the finest, I've little doubt of that." 

Thor had been eleven when Tyr had found him in the forest with no memory of who he was or where he had come from.Having become a fugitive from Malekith, Tyr had chosen to remain in the woods with Thor, though there was many a time the old man had started berating himself for not leaving the kingdom altogether. Thor had learned that it was best to just nod and pretend to listen, and usually found refuge in going hunting. He was the only one in the realm who knew the dark forest well, making it an easy source of income.

Today, however, he was actually listening. The story of Lady Jane was something he knew as well as his own hands. There were times when he could imagine her very clearly, soft brown hair, ivory skin and eyes that sparkled like the stars in the sky."What is he going through with?" he asked, having noticed the concern on Tyr's voice.

"There's a reason he didn't kill her that night, something the old King knew about it too."

"What?"

"I don't know. Something to do with the next King. Odd, considering he had no children."

Thor frowned. "You think Mal.. The King wants Lady Jane as his consort? That's... repul—"

"Keep your voice down!" Tyr interrupted him. "You know he has ways of seeing everything!" Thor rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He thought the stories were rubbish, but Malekith was very real, and very dangerous. Even if he wasn't a sorcerer.

* * *

 

Jane sat staring numbly at her reflection in the ridiculously opulent mirror as she fiddled with the iron nail in her hand. She knew what today was, all the tally marks she had scratched into the stone since the first time she had started her monthly courses.

That day was still a terrible part of her nightmares, waking up to find her sheets soaked with blood and screaming until Algrim would come into the room and drag her before Malekith.

When it had happened in reality, that horrible mirror of his had spoken, saying that she was not yet ready, and would not be until she was eighteen, but in her nightmares, Malekith had been given no such warning, and had instead forced her into the marriage that very day, and spent that night and every night to follow holding her down as he forced himself upon her, despite her protests and screams.

Today was her eighteenth birthday. For ten years, she'd been kept in this tower, only being let out for occasional walks on the parapets or Malekith's inspections of her, but after today, she would be even more trapped in the dubious honor of being Malekith's Queen. Although broodmare was probably a more accurate term.

"My lady?" Jane slipped the nail inside her corset and turned to see one of the servant girls standing there with a white silk dress in hand. "The King wants to see you. In this." There was a silent _I'm sorry_ being spoken in the girl's eyes. Jane sighed and nodded, standing up to let the maid dress her. When she had been dressed and primped to the point of disgust, Jane let the maid lead her out of the room, where two of Malekith's personal guards were stationed at all times.

Trying to stay calm, Jane started walking, the guards flanking her as she entered Malekith's solar. To her surprise, they didn't stop her there, but instead took her by the arms and led her into the throne room.

Malekith was waiting for her, lounging on the golden chair as if it belonged to him. "I have waited a long time for this," he said smugly. "No need for ceremony, I'm done waiting for this."

"So am I." Jane pulled out the nail, stabbing one guard in the eye and the other in the stomach before grabbing a knife from one of them, cutting off her skirts and breaking into a run. She only just made it through the enormous oaken doors and out into the courtyard.

Ten years had given her plenty of time to think of different escape routes, and this was as good as any. She remembered full well exploring every inch of the castle as a child, provided Malekith hadn't changed anything. She pulled up one of the water grates, and ducked inside, sliding down the slick, filth covered tunnels until it spat her out on the shores.

She was breathless, covered in sewage, and had lost both her slippers somewhere in the tunnels, but she was free. She glanced back up at the palace briefly before starting to run again. She had a long ways to go if she wanted to find help, and she didn't stop until she had disappeared into the darkness of the forest on the far end of the shore.

* * *

 

Thor was sitting outside the house— if you could call it that— and skinning a rabbit when the soldiers arrived. "What do you want?" he asked. "We're paying our taxes, if that's what this is about. And I'm not a poacher."

"That is not what we're here for, boy," the one at the front said gruffly. "I am Algrim, the High Steward. And the King requires your services."

"I'm a hunter, not a hired hand. If the King wants a deer, I'd be happy to sell," Thor told them calmly.

"You hunt in the dark forest. Something very precious to the King has disappeared in there. He wants you to find it."

"And if I say no?"

"Then you and the old man can both die." Thor grabbed his axe from the ground, brandishing it coldly.

"Touch my father, and I'll kill you."

"Lead us through the forest and no harm has to come to either of you. In fact, you will receive a rather substantial reward."

"What kind of reward?" Thor asked, leaning forward, his curiosity now piqued.

"One wish. Anything you desire, courtesy of the King himself."

"A wish," the young huntsman repeated. "What am I looking for?"

"Not what, who. A young woman. The King's betrothed, in fact." In that moment, Thor knew exactly what he was going to ask for.

"Very well," he told Algrim. "I'll find her. But I do it on my own. None of you are to come with me. I have always hunted alone, I will not change my methods."

"The King—"

"I _will_ find the lady," Thor said firmly. "If you want results, you _will_ let me work as I have always worked. Are those acceptable terms?"

Algrim glared at him. "Find her quickly, huntsman. The King is not a patient man."

"He'll have to learn to be for me," Thor retorted calmly. "Or he can find someone else who knows the dark forest."

"Do not fail."

"I don't intend to."

* * *

 

Jane's entire body was screaming in pain after the hours of running. Her feet were scratched and bleeding, and she was covered in dirt and bruises. She had finally stopped to catch her breath, and her stomach was growling loudly. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and all she had was a knife.

She heard the sound of boots trampling the underbrush, and looked up to see a young man walking towards her with an axe in hand. But then she saw his eyes. She knew those eyes. She'd pictured them every day for ten years. " _Thor_?"

The young man stopped, staring at her in shock. "How do you know my name?"

Jane's heart dropped down into the center of the earth as she realized Malekith's spell had touched him too. He didn't remember her, he didn't remember anything. "I... I..."

"Never mind that now, we have to get you out of here, Lady Jane." He stepped closer and took her by the arm. She couldn't stop staring at him in shock. How could he know who she was and not know himself?

"I won't go back." she told him, pulling away. "You can't make me."

"Lady Jane—"

"No! You can't take me back there, it will kill me!"

"I won't let them hurt you," he promised. "You have my word."

"Not your word to give, huntsman." Jane whimpered involuntarily at the sound of Algrim's voice as she tried to shrink back into the nearest tree as far as she could. "That was a foolish thing you did, Lady Jane. Come now, no need for this to get any messier."

"You promised me a boon," Thor said, moving in front of her protectively. "And what I desire most is her freedom."

Algrim chuckled coldly. "There will be no boon once Malekith learns of you, boy. But, since you completed your end of the bargain, we will grant you the mercy of a quick death.

"Run!" Jane screamed, grabbing Thor's hand and taking off, doing her best to ignore her agonized body yelling at her to stop. She stumbled once, and he pulled her up into his arms, taking a turn between two giant boulders that left them shrouded in darkness. A moment later, the sound of horses' hooves passed them by.

"That will buy us some time," Thor told her. "But you still owe me an explanation. How is it you know my name?"

Jane stared at him, trying to think of how to phrase it. "You and I were friends as children. It... it was a long time ago."

"I think I would remember being friends with you." 

"No, you wouldn't. Malekith cursed everyone in the kingdom except me, Algrim and himself to forget you." The minute the words left her mouth, Jane wished she hadn't been quite so blunt about it, he was staring at her as if she'd gone mad. "Please, I know it sounds insane, but we cannot let them capture us. Either of us—"

"What will they do to my father?" The question threw her off.

"What?"

"My father. Tyr." For a moment, Jane smiled to know the old general was alive, but her face fell as she realized, and Thor prompted her again. "What will they do to him?"

"Probably kill him," she admitted, hanging her head. "Especially since they now probably know who he really is. And what part he played in saving you."

"Nothing you are saying makes any sense—"

"You're the prince!" she blurted. "That's why they're planning on killing you now!"

Thor blinked. "What?"

“I know it sounds mad, but it’s true! Thor, I know you!" Jane insisted.

"But how? How can I believe what you're saying?"

Sighing, Jane took his hand and pushed up his sleeve. “You got this scar when you were eight. I was five, and we were climbing trees. You climbed up too high, and the branch broke, so you fell and broke your arm. It took you two months to heal."

Thor frowned, as if he remembered the incident in question, and yet it was still unclear. "Were you spying on me?" he asked, pulling his arm from her grasp. 

“Of course not!” she said, offended he would even ask it. “I was there for all of it! I was there every time you burned your mouth on sweets that had just come out of the oven, you were there every time I fell off a horse. I was… I was supposed to marry you!”

"You were?" 

“That’s why Malekith was chasing me, there’s some kind of prophecy that my child will be the next king,” Jane explained testily, then felt guilty. It wasn't his fault that he'd fallen prey to the curse, and that all of this was such a mess. “That’s why I was brought to the palace in the first place. So that we could know each other.”

"Then we'd best get to safety. And, you'll have to explain all this to me in far more detail."

“Getting to safety isn’t going to be easy, Malekith still has the Aether on his side…” Jane shuddered at the thought of that awful mirror. “He could be watching us right now.”

"What's the Aether?" Thor asked, clearly puzzled. Jane cursed herself for not remembering that she was one of three people who knew about the cursed thing.

“We should start moving first, it’s easier for me to explain while we walk,” she told him, looking back towards the cave entrance. “And the sooner we get over the border, the safer we’ll be.”

Thor nodded,offering her his hand. "As you say, Lady Jane. You clearly know more about this than I do."

Jane took it, feeling a small spark of familiarity as she touched him. She knew she was right, this was Thor, it had to be.“Please. Just Jane. I’ve heard enough of milady for a long time.”

* * *

 

"What do you mean, _the boy is alive?"_ Malekith hissed. "How is it that you took ten _years_ to reveal this information?"

" _I do not know all, my master. The girl, I could foresee in my presence, but you never brought the prince before me. Thus, I could not see his truth reflected."_

"You are utterly _useless!_ "

" _Am I? Would your reign be so strong had it not been for my spells?_ " the Aether asked. " _Where would your warriors be without my gifts? Where would you be? Never forget, Malekith, I made you what you are."_

"Then find her! Find her, or you will never have your host!"

" _I will do what I can. You would do to be patient, my master. And remember, the price for my help is a greater one every time."_

"Damn your price! Show me Algrim again." The Aether rippled, showing the lieutenant once more. "Find them. Both of them, I don't care what it takes, I want both of them found and brought before me, _alive._ "

* * *

 

Jane sighed, dropping down onto a rock to rest. "I wish I knew where we were going. Malekith never let me out of the palace. I just know we have to go west."

"Why west?" Thor asked.

“Because that’s the way to the border, and if we can get across the border, we can get help from Loki.”

Thor gave a nod. "What good will that do if he doesn't remember things either?" he asked.

"The spell only covered our own land, I was there when Malekith ordered it cast."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"I don't know if it's good, it's still been ten years since we saw each other. More, even—" Jane got cut off by a trap going off around her leg and pulling her up into the air.

"Jane!" Thor rushed forward to cut her down, only to have the same thing happen to him. "Oh, fuck," he grumbled.

The foul language would have been refreshing if it weren't for the traps. Jane struggled to get the knife she'd grabbed at the beginning. "Can you bend up and cut us down?"

After a moment’s struggle, Thor sighed. ”No. I'm sorry, Jane.”

"Well, do you have any other ideas?"

"Quiet." A dark haired woman emerged from the trees, brandishing a sword. "Well, well, if isn't the _huntsman_."

"Sif, cut us down," Thor told her testily. "We have to be somewhere."

"You will be addressing me with the proper respect." Sif pressed the sword to his neck as her three comrades also appeared. "Fandral, you can cut the girl down, see what she can tell—"

"Don't you touch her!" Thor's fist swung out, striking Fandral as he drew closer.

"Listen to me!" Jane interrupted. "My... my father, he's a lord..." One she hadn't seen in ten years, and was only allowed one letter a year, to prove she was alive and healthy. "If you cut us down, and let us go, I promise, I can see you rewarded, just as soon as we're safely across the border."

"And what kind of lord lets his daughter traipse around the dark forest with a rogue like Thor Tyrson? Especially dressed like that?" A fat red haired man asked.

"The kind who doesn't know what's happened to his own child," Jane explained hurriedly. "I'm the Lady Jane—"

"Lady Jane?" Sif tilted her head. "Very well, we'll cut you down, but only if you can prove you're really her."

"How am I supposed to do that? I've been locked up in the palace since I was eight!" The knife fell out of its strap around her thigh, and the third man, a dark haired sallow faced man came forward, picking up.

"This has Malekith's crest on it."

"It could have been pilfered," the fat man said.

"A little thing like her?" Fandral asked. "She'd have been killed. And that dress is very fine, or what's left of it.” Jane attempted to cover her chest and legs, flushing pink with embarrassment. She’d forgotten that she was still in the rags of the wedding dress Malekith had forced her to wear.

“Will you _please_ cut us down?” she asked. “This is getting really uncomfortable.”

“Oh, _fine_.” Sif swiped her blade at the rope holding them up, and Thor and Jane fell to the ground with a loud thud. “Don’t move. Either of you.”

“Please, listen to me,” Jane pleaded, sitting up despite Sif’s orders. “We need to get across the border, or Malekith is going to make things even worse. Thor and I are the only ones standing in his way. Just get us across the border, and you’ll see.”

“How do we know we can trust you?”

“What reason do we have to lie? _Please._ ” Jane repeated one last time. “Please, you don’t know how badly we need this help. For everyone’s sake.”

"Fine. But if you don’t pay, you’ll be sorry." Sif warned, sheathing her sword. "Hogun, give her your cloak, no need to tempt Fandral." The dark haired man pulled off his cloak, holding it out to Jane, who took it and pulled it around her as she and Thor stood up.

"Are you hurt?" Thor asked worriedly.

"I’m fine," she reassured him. "Don’t worry." At that moment, there was the sound of a bow firing, and Hogun fell to the ground, an arrow in his back. Jane whirled around to see Algrim riding towards them. " _Run!"_ Jane screamed, grabbing Thor’s hand.

"Hogun!" Fandral yelled, trying to grab his friend.

"Leave him, leave him!" Sif ordered. "We’ll all be dead if we stay!"

"But—"

"That was an order, Fandral!" Sif grabbed her blond comrade by the arm and dragged him along as they all ran.

“This cannot be escaped, girl!” Algrim shouted after them. “Malekith will have you!” Jane shuddered as Thor let go of her hand and turned around.

“Thor, what are you doing?” she yelled, trying to pull him back as he lifted up his axe and flung it directly at Algrim, embedding it deep within the armored chest.

* * *

 

Malekith stumbled, hearing the strained pleas of his closest aide appealing to him.

_Please… don’t let me die…._

“ _Too much of a price,”_ the Aether warned, rippling Algrim's desperate visage. “ _You would have to sacrifice your own power to save his life, you know this, Malekith_.”

The Dark King looked at his mirror, imperceptibly clenching his jaw as he silently bid farewell to an old friend, and recalled his other forces.

And in the forest, Algrim’s body went limp as he fell from the horse and the soldiers with him fled back to the palace.

* * *

 

“What were you thinking?” Jane demanded furiously, staring at Thor in the flickering light of the makeshift pyre Fandral had insisted they give Hogun.

“I was thinking that one less enemy following us, especially since he seemed to be close to Malekith, would be good for us.”

“Thor, he could have killed you!” she scolded. “Don’t you understand that? You’re a greater threat to Malekith than anything else, your death means there’d be no one left to oppose him legitimately, since no one else knows my prophecy!”

“And what should I have done? Left them alive so they could follow us? This would allow us to be safer going forward. And, I know what I’m doing.”

“You don’t know,” she snapped, turning away from him. “You have no idea what Malekith is capable of. What he _has_ done. You got to forget, you got to have some semblance of a life.”

Thor instantly felt horrible, especially since she’d been locked in that place with him for so long. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Really, Jane.”

She wrapped the cloak around herself, shivering. “I used to daydream you’d escaped, that you’d come save me. But it never happened. He kept me locked in your mother’s rooms. I had nightmares nearly every night. No apology is going to change that.”

“You know I would have come had I been able to.” He swallowed harshly, though, because he _couldn’t_ , and she was right, nothing would change that.

“I don’t know that,” she said softly. “I don’t know you, not anymore. The children we were are gone. Everything’s ruined. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh, go to sleep, you two!” Sif hissed. “None of us want to hear this.”

“Sorry,” Thor said, though he didn’t know if it was directed at Jane or Sif.

* * *

 

“Thor. Thor.” Tyr’s voice woke him, along with a jostling of his shoulders. “Wake up.”

“Hmm?” Thor asked, opening his eyes blearily. “What is it?”

“Get up,” the old man told him. “And come with me. We need to talk.”

Thor nodded, rubbing at his eyes. “What is it?” he repeated, wondering what had the man needing to talk to him so urgently.

“You worried me, disappearing like that,” Tyr said as they walked away from the smouldering fire and deeper into the woods. “What happened, exactly?”

“I went to stop Algrim. Shoved my axe into his chest. We have one less enemy to worry about now.”

“I was talking about just running off. You shouldn’t be talking about enemies anyway, boy, I taught you better than that.”

“Whoever is working with Malekith, whoever helped imprison Jane and take everyone’s true memories away, they are an enemy. That’s the truth. Maybe I shouldn’t have just run off, but now Malekith has one less person he can count on.”

Tyr huffed, scowling at him. “You should not have gotten involved. You should just come home, forget all this happened. Leave the girl.” 

“How am I supposed to do that? Jane _knows_ me. Even if I don’t remember, she knows things about me. I trust her. I’m going to help her.”

“I do not want to fight you about this,” Tyr said, drawing a crimson apple from inside his bag and holding it out to Thor. “Have something to eat; you look like hell. Then we can discuss this.” 

Thor took the apple, tossing it in the air and catching it again before taking a bite. Tyr’s face hardened into a cold smirk, his features shifting, growing smoother, and his voice deeper. “Thank you, _Odinson_ , I’m glad we had this chance to speak. I never had the chance with your parents when I disposed of them.”

Thor’s hands reached for his throat as he started choking, and the apple fell from his hands. Looming over him now was Malekith, disguise fully shed, gloating over him as the sorcerer disappeared into the shadows. “I shall enjoy this victory greatly, boy. I have been waiting for it for ten years.”

_“No!”_ Jane’s voice came in the distance, shrilly and desperate as she rushed towards him, her hands grabbing at Thor desperately, trying to pull him up. “Thor… Thor, no, please…” Thor tried to hold onto the image of her, but the blackness was swallowing him rapidly. The last thing he remembered was her lips brushing his before he knew nothing at all.

When his eyes opened again, Sif, Fandral and Volstagg were standing over him in horror. “What… happened?” he asked slowly, trying to sit up.

Sif bit her lip, looking at her feet. “He took her, Thor. I’m sorry, we weren’t fast enough…”

“What?!?” Thor shouted, immediately pushing himself up and then feeling dizzy because of it. “We have to get her back. We have to.”

“How?” Fandral prompted. “They disappeared into thin air, we could never hope to attack the palace, not the four of us on our own.”

“No. We need an army. And then we _will_ attack the palace, and we _will_ put a stop to this, once and for all.”

* * *

 Jane was thrown to the cold stone floor of the solar, still sobbing. Of all the ways she’d imagined having her first kiss, trying to revive an unconscious Thor had not been one of them. And now she was back where she had started, and Thor was really gone this time.

“ _Did you think you could escape?”_ Malekith demanded, grabbing her by the hair. “Give me one reason not to have you here and now, you little bitch.”

“Mother!” Jane screamed, trying to wrench herself free. “Mother, help me, please!” For a moment, a circle of light erupted from her chest, knocking Malekith back. “Don’t touch me…” she stammered, pulling away from him. “I’m not letting you do this.”

“I am not giving you a choice in this,” Malekith spat. “You have never had a choice. And now, the Odinson is dead. _You are mine.”_

“So kill me!” Jane shouted. “I’d sooner stab out my own womb than have your child!” 

Malekith struck her across the face, and a pair of chains made from the same substance as the Aether’s glass wrapped around her wrists, pulling her up between two of the columns that surrounded the brazier in the center of the room. “This is to make sure you don’t,” he told her. “And I will keep you like this for as long as is necessary. It would be in your own best interest, Jane, to realize when you have been beaten.”

“You’re all talk,” Jane bluffed. “Otherwise, you would have done it already.”

“Oh, I will have you, but you will suffer first.” Jane didn’t get the chance to ask what that meant, because she felt a spiked whip dig into her back, ripping the tender skin, and she screamed so loudly, the entire palace must have heard her.

* * *

 

“You expect me to believe you’re Thor.” Loki circled them, eyes narrowed. “Convenient, really. What reason do I have to believe you, though? No one in your realm knows who you are anymore, you could be an assassin sent here by Malekith to dispose of both my father and me. So _convince me._ ”

“Because Jane, that little girl who fostered with us, she is the reason I even know what part I have to play in this. Because Jane kissed me and brought me back after Malekith tried to kill me— he technically succeeded. She knew me, Loki, look into my eyes and tell me that you don’t remember me too!”

“You met Jane?” Loki stopped circling and stared. “Then where is she?”

“Malekith grabbed her while I was still out of it. According to my companions, they disappeared in thin air. I’m furious that she’s in his clutches again.”

“Tell me what her eyes look like.” The request was oddly soft. “Describe them.”

“Brown, but not a normal brown. They have these gold flecks. They’re always searching, curious for more. I can see the universe inside them.” Thor blushed slightly.

“Thor.” Loki pulled him into a tight embrace. “It _is_ you. You never shut up about her, even when we were boys.”

Thor hugged Loki back. “I’m glad you remember. I wish I could, too.”

“We’ll see about that after we deal with the bastard sitting in your throne,” Loki promised. “You have the full army at your disposal. You and your… companions.”

“Thank you, Loki. We’re going to need to devise a decent strategy to get into that palace, though. Malekith is going to stop at nothing to keep us out, or at the very least to kill us all.”

”True,” Loki nodded. “I suppose there are always more… covert ways. If I could, shall we suppose, bring him a gift?”

“By all means,” Thor said. “Any help you can offer would be appreciated.”

Loki let out a dry little chuckle. “How comfortable are you, _precisely,_ with being chained up?”

Thor raised an eyebrow. “Will it get us in the door?”

“My friend, it would get us into the esteemed presence of Malekith himself. Do you trust me?”

“ _I_ don’t,” Sif interrupted. “Thor, look for help elsewhere. He’s not one to be trusted.”

“Sif, he knows Jane. He fostered with me, with her. I may not remember, but she wanted us over the border.” He looked to Loki. “Whatever it takes to save her, I will do it.”

Loki grinned. “Oh, this is going to be just like old times.”

“With me chained up?” Thor asked. “What did we use to do, exactly?”

“Well, no, usually _Jane_ was the one chained up. Being a lady, and such, she was always the damsel to rescue.”

“I don’t suppose she took too kindly to that,” Thor muttered.

“She bit both of us after the third time….” Loki paused, frowning. “Perhaps we shouldn’t rescue her.”

“Of course we’re rescuing her! This time, she’s in _real_ danger!”

“It was a _jest_ , Thor, did the curse take your sense of humor too?”

“I did _die_ and come back to life in the past day, so forgive me if I’m not in the mood.”

“Forgiven. Now, come on, we have precious little time, if Malekith knows about Jane’s prophecy.”

* * *

 

“ _Submit._ ”

“Burn… in… hell…” Jane said weakly, her head slumping forward. It had been going on for days now, she wasn’t sure if there was any part of her that wasn’t bleeding.

“Another ten, then?” Malekith asked, and she flinched involuntarily at the prospect. “If you don’t want them, submit.”

“Make… it… twenty,” she dared him. The lashes were just starting up again when the doors opened.

“I thought I said I was not to be disturbed,” Malekith said, his voice dangerously low.

“I am sorry, my king, but… I think you may wish to see what’s been brought here.” Jane struggled to pull her head up as Loki — _what was he doing here_ — dragged a chained Thor into the solar.

“Thor!” Jane blurted before Malekith gave her another lash and she whimpered. Thor was alive, but how? And why had Loki betrayed them like this?

“I’m surprised to see you, little prince,” Malekith remarked suspiciously.

“Does that mean you don’t want the gift?” Loki asked, affecting a sulk. “And after I came all this way.”

Thor growled through his gag, though his eyes were such a stormy blue in anger and sadness at seeing Jane how she was.

“How could you?” Jane demanded, forcing down a cry as Malekith struck her again.

“How many times do I have to deal with you?” the sorcerer demanded, advancing on Thor.

“I think the question is how many times he has to deal with _you_ ,” Loki corrected."

Thor moved his arms, and a link in the chains snapped, freeing his hands. He pulled a knife up out of his belt, lunging at Malekith’s knees to take the other man down. 

“Get her out of here!” he shouted at Loki, standing up to regain his leverage and bringing a foot down on Malekith’s knee. The older man barely made a sound, but he curled inward before pushing himself at Thor by using his good leg. Thor’s knife went flying as he went down, and Thor scrambled for it. Malekith kicked it farther away. 

“Rather pitiful attempt at killing me, Odinson. Almost as pathetic as your parents’ attempt at fighting back.”

Thor let out a loud, animalistic bellow and tackled Malekith again, punching him in the face. The sorcerer raised his hand, clearly preparing to summon the Aether. If he did, Thor was doomed, Jane knew it instantly. “No!” she screamed as Loki took a knife of his own and shattered the chains holding her. “No, please, don’t!” Loki caught her as she fell forward. “The mirror, Thor! It’s in there! The mirror!”

Thor lunged for his knife, and he threw it at the mirror. “What are you going to do without your power?” he asked Malekith. He pulled a second knife out. “I think you should die with it.” He threw the knife at the other man’s chest.

The glass shattered and the Aether streamed out, heading straight for Malekith and enveloping him, making him scream until both he and it disappeared into the flames. Jane let out a sob of relief as the knives clattered to the floor.

“Jane!” Thor turned to her, his voice soft and flooded with emotion. “I’m sorry, Jane. I’m sorry.” He went to move closer, but he fell to his knees when he took a step, and his hands went to his head, wincing.

“Is it over?” she asked, breaking from Loki’s grasp and collapsing into his arms, her hands latching tightly around him. “Is he gone? Are we safe?”

Thor gently held her close, clearly trying to mind her injuries as he grappled with his own pain. “I think we can assume so,” he whispered. “I remember now. I remember it all. Our childhood, my parents—” 

“Thor, she needs a healer,” Loki interrupted. “The forces I summoned should have dispatched the remainder of Malekith’s men. I would like to go home now, if I may.”

“Of course, Loki. _Thank you_. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible.” Thor stood up, supporting Jane carefully. “And, he’s right about you. We need to find a healer.”

“I’m fine….” Jane lied, fainting in Thor’s grasp.

* * *

 

When she woke up, she was lying on her stomach in rooms she hadn’t seen since she was a child, and Thor was sitting next to her, holding her hand. “Oh… hello…” she said weakly.

“Hello. Welcome back.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“A little over a day. Not terribly long, but natural, given everything he put you through.”

“Did I miss the coronation?” she asked.

“No. It takes a bit to plan one, and I wasn’t going to have it before I knew you were okay.” He squeezed her hand.

"Oh, good," she tried to laugh. "I would have hated to miss it."

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said softly. “I was so worried.”

"I'm glad you're alive. But how? Your heart stopped; I felt it!"

“I don’t know. I remember your lips against mine. A lot of blackness. And then coming to only to find that you’d been taken again.”

"He grabbed me when I reached you. I was so afraid..."

“Shhh." He brushed aside a few wisps of her hair. "It all worked out in the end. You saved me, somehow, and Malekith’s gone, and we’re here.”

“And where’s here?” she asked faintly.

“Home, hopefully. The palace, but I am crown prince, and well, I will need a queen…” He looked at her with hopeful eyes.

“You might not want to be married to me,” she warned. “It’s been so long, you might hate it.”

He gave her a small smile. “According to Loki, I talked about you all the time even then. Well, I remember now. Whenever you weren’t around, I was talking about you. And, you saved us all. Without you, I still wouldn’t know who I really was. Malekith would be on the throne. Why wouldn’t I want to marry you? You’re brave and honorable, and you’ve still retained most of the girl I knew.”

“You really want to marry me?”

“Of course I do, Jane. I’ve wanted to since we were children.”

“You never mentioned that when we were children. You and Loki used to tease me terribly. And you never talked to me when it was just the two of us.”

“Right, because I was supposed to be good at saying how I felt? I didn’t know what I was feeling, not really. I just knew that I probably gave you the same looks my father gave my mother, and I knew I didn’t want you to go anywhere.”

She actually laughed at that, then whimpered at the pain in her back. “ I suppose I shouldn’t have told him to give me more lashes.”

Thor stared at her with wide eyes. “You _what_?!?”

“I thought you were dead, I didn’t want him raping me!” she explained defensively. “I would have preferred dying to having his child!”

He relaxed slightly, as the alternative was worse. “Well, we’re just going to make sure you get rest and heal properly. That’s all we can do.”

“I hate being stuck in bed,” she grumbled, burying her face in a pillow.

Thor squeezed her hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb. “I know. It isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. But it is necessary, especially with what he did to you.”

She bit her lip, not wanting to tell him everything that had happened to her over the last ten years. “Is Tyr alright?”

“He is,” Thor answered. He noticed the way she bit her lip. “Are _you_ alright?” he asked softly.

“The last time I was in these rooms, your parents were still alive. This place has been a prison for me for the last ten years, I… I can’t think of it as home.”

Thor ran his thumb a little faster over her hand. “I was thinking of rebuilding. Making the palace new to stand for the new reign.”

“It would take a lot of funds,” she told him. “And you don’t have to do all that for me.”

“I was already thinking about it. Malekith poisoned this realm, and I want them to know that things are going to be different.”

“I think you could be a wonderful king,” she murmured drowsily.

“Thank you, Jane.” He kissed her forehead. “Now _rest_.”

“Thor?”

Thor smiled. “Yes?”

“I didn’t give you an answer.”

“You don’t have to right now. You can think about it.”

“I think you already know.”

“I don’t have the right to choose for you, though. But if you want to say yes, I’ll be quite happy.” That was an understatement, but he couldn’t find adequate words.

“Yes,” she mumbled before drifting back to sleep.

* * *

 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Jane said, looking up at Thor with her stomach churning more than a little. Getting married was one thing, that was wonderful, something she’d dreamed about almost her entire life, but going out there, knowing she was about to be made a _queen_ was a different matter altogether.

“Of course you can, Jane. You can do _anything_. You were the key to Malekith’s downfall, don’t you forget that. You can do this.”

“Easy for you to say. Everyone already loves you,” she protested.

“And _I_ love _you_.”

“That doesn’t really change the fact that I’m terrified.”

“Would it help if I told you I’m nervous, too?”

“You are?”

“Of course I am! I have two different sets of memories in my head, and because Malekith killed my parents, I don’t have the proper training in being a king, and I am _terrified_ I’m going to ruin things.”

“Do you think it’s too late for us to run?”

He laughed a little. “Yes, I do.”

“Oh, very well, I suppose we should go, then… see this through.” It wasn’t very romantic, but she was a little too terrified to be properly eloquent.

“Yes, we should. My lady,” he said, holding out his arm for her.

“My _King_ ,” she said impishly, looping her arm through his.

“That’s going to take some getting used to,” he said sheepishly.

“Then I suppose we should start now.” She squeezed his hand. “I have faith in you.”

“And I have faith in you. We’ll make it through this together. Deal?”

She bit her lip and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Deal.”

* * *

And so, after ten years of darkness, peace and prosperity returned to the kingdom with a new force the likes of which had never before been seen.

Well, this was not entirely true. One person had seen it, long ago. Meissa, the star who was Jane's mother.

For you see, it was a rare thing that a star would look down upon the earth and feel such love as Meissa did for the young lord, and it had overwhelmed her to the point that she was pulled to the earth, and from her love, Jane had been born. But stars are not meant for our world, and Meissa had already seen all that would come for her daughter by the time she had fallen. And these were the words she whispered in her husband's ear.

_She is love, and light, and all that you are to me._

_She is destined to find a love even greater than ours, one that will be more powerful than anything you can imagine, and she will find it with Odin's son._

_And their child... O, their child will have a brilliance unlike anything the heavens or the earth, truly the fairest of all._

_That is why I ask you not to weep, my love, for such joy and such beauty will be hers. It is a long road, but she will find it. You will see._


End file.
